Summer heat and humidity has cast its menacing rays upon our perspiring city. Chattanoogans are flocking to bars to keep cool and stay refreshed. While hot toddies and hot buttered rum are synonymous with maintaining warmth around the fire on harsh winter nights, late summer afternoons call for patio seating and fruity alcoholic beverages.

Beast + Barrel’s bar chef, Brian Lindsay, says the Texas Mule has been the preferred cocktail at his restaurant this summer.

“We sold 1,152 Texas Mules in 28 days,” says Lindsay, who has been a mixologist for six years.

This reinvigorating drink features Tito’s vodka, house-crafted ginger simple syrup, ginger beer and crystallized ginger mixed, served in a copper cup, and topped with a lime wedge.

With just one taste of this flavorful drink, you’ll fantasize about skipping work and lounging on the beach with the sound of waves crashing in the distance. Lacking any bitter aftertaste, this cocktail perfectly exemplifies how a summer alcoholic beverage should taste.

The Old Fashioned is another Beast + Barrel summer favorite. “It took me four years to come up with this recipe,” says Lindsay.

Old Forester bourbon whiskey, aromatic bitters, muddled orange, sugar, and a house-brandied cherry combine in this Old Fashioned to instantly replenish all depleted energy and leave you feeling cool and relaxed on the outside and warm and fuzzy on the inside.

If beer happens to be your preferred drink of choice, Vassion says that the Chattanooga Brewing Company’s Chickbock has been a favorite among those looking to not only refresh themselves on a hot summer day, but also for those wanting to support local businesses. During the World Cup, Brewhaus offers this beer, along with other Chattanooga brews, for only $3.

Temperatures (as usual) are expected to soar past 90 degrees during the next few weeks, so it’s important to relieve the edge that comes with hot weather and muggy humidity. There’s no better way to loosen up than to indulge with a tasty summer treat. Whether it’s a cocktail, or a locally brewed IPA, summer drinks are the best way to chill out on a scorching summer day.